Improving old tracks..

[luthobu]

What is the current policy regarding upgrading old tracks? Many of them have a strict EULA or no-rerelease policy without permission.. but.. it is impossible to track down (pun intended) the original creators, and it would take little effort to improve the graphics on many old tracks. I do this for my own private collection.. but.. it would be nice to release some of them to the public..

 

[Shovas]

I tried to get permissions for tracks where possible in my SHO PnG Retrofit mod, and was successful most of the time, but where I didn't get any response or couldn't figure out how to contact authors I just went ahead and used the track.

Others made that suggestion to me before I actually did it, too, so it seems to be acceptable in the modding community, especially for very old stuff.

 

[The Iron Wolf]

What I do in this case I create a patch, something people can copy over the original track or cars, referencing original mod and giving people credit. I imagine there might still be some drama, but...

 

[Speednut357]

Unofficially, of course, make a patch like Iron Wolf said. If anyone lodges any complaint, then take it down and don't argue. Watch out for people who complain and actually have nothing to do with the original work. Just ignore those.

As an example of just how much you can do, take a look at Rainmaker's fixes for tracks and cars in AC. For the most part, people are grateful for his fixes and changes, and he has literally made hundreds of these.

 

[luthobu]

Thank you. My next project is Machwerk.. The graphics is really old.. and should be modernized and upscaled.. Is that something the community might be interested in? Or is it completely dead by now? I will do it anyway..

 

[Shovas]

I wonder are there AI tools that can intelligently modernize and upscale textures now?

 

[luthobu]

There probably is.. but they can not add the feel that makes a track feel real..

 

[MJQT]

I'm a bit late to this, but I agree with Iron Wolf and Speednut above. What I'd suggest is posting the original mod in one download, then posting your changes in another.

A while ago, Speednut and I were working on a rF1 Supercars trackpack with optimized AIW files. The project has since fallen onto the back burner, but the idea (in my head, anyway) was always to release a pack of original tracks in one download, then share the updates we made in another separate download. Maybe I'll get back to this project and finish it up sometime, if I get the itch for isiMotor AI editing again.

FYI I've shared a significant amount of old mods for old sims here on RaceDepartment recently and I've had nothing but encouragement from RD staff like Ole (who are simply happy to see old mods being preserved). I always ensure to include a disclaimer clarifying "This is not my mod; I'm sharing for preservation purposes" and that should be enough.